Thomas hesitated briefly, but Tara interrupted him effortlessly. "Thomas, this message was personally sent by Mrs. Reed. That money is your mother's hard-earned savings. It can't just disappear like that. Even if you love Olivia deeply, you can't wrong your own mother, right?"
Tara glanced at Mrs. Royce. Right on cue, Mrs. Royce feigned frailty and said shakily, "Forget it ... forget it, Thomas. As long as you're happy."
Their coordinated performance inflamed the crowd. Garbage bags and vegetable scraps started flying toward my mom and me.
"Having neighbors like this is disgraceful!"
"No wonder their quality of life is so high, big meals every day. Turns out this is their 'business.'"
"You don't say. They probably have other 'sources of income' too!"
Thomas turned to me, his expression dawning with a mix of suspicion and contempt, "Huh, I've always wondered how you can dress so well all the time. Now it makes sense."
"Same single-parent household, but what an 'outstanding' example you've set. This has to end today." Thomas's resolute stance and Tara's and his mother's smug expressions pushed me to rapidly piece together the situation.